If the Citizens dip in form spills over into the Premier League, the Chilean could be out the door

Pepe Mel may be presiding over a precariously placed West Bromwich Albion side sitting in the basement positions of the Premier League, but it could yet be a manager at the other end of the table that walks the plank next – namely, Manuel Pellegrini.

Laugh if you will, but following a week in which Manchester City’s dreams of a quadruple went up in smoke following a woeful FA Cup exit at the hands of old foes Wigan and a Champions League bashing from Barcelona things are looking decidedly pear-shaped for the Chilean.

Defeat on Saturday would put City on a run of three straight losses in all competitions and may leave them as many as 12 points behind leaders Chelsea, should the Londoners claim a fourth consecutive Premier League victory over the weekend.

Steve Bruce’s team were impressive against Sunderland in the FA Cup last weekend, with a 3-0 win that means the north-east side have lost just one of their last five fixtures in all competitions.

History certainly suggests City could struggle too, with Hull winning one and drawing the other of the two previous Premier League meetings between the teams at the KC Stadium.

Part of the problem for Pellegrini’s team at present is that the goals seem to have dried up domestically, with City scoring just once in their last three top flight fixtures.

That this dip in form has coincided with an injury to star striker Sergio Aguero is no coincidence – the Argentinean has 15 goals in 17 Premier League outings – and the news that the forward picked up another injury during their recent defeat to Barcelona is the worst possible scenario for the Sky Blues.

And as the sacking of Roberto Mancini in the days after last year’s FA Cup final defeat shows, City’s owners are not averse to making snap decisions regarding the future of the club.

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Jack Beresford is a content writer with over five years of experience in writing about sport and betting, including a two-year spell with Axonn Media. Contributes articles to HereIsTheCity and Lad Bible, while previous credits include Bwin, FTB Pro, Bleacher Report and the QBE rugby. Avid follower of tennis, rugby union, motorsport and football, Jack also writes about poker for Cardspiel.com alongside Guardian journalist Dominic Wells.

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